https://time.com/5664393/bear-beekeeper-video/

Bears, it seems, have very discerning taste. That’s the result of a not particularly scientific experiment undertaken by a Turkish beekeeper who video taped local bears dipping into his honey stores.

Beekeeper Ibrahim Sedef had been having a hard time keeping his honey out of the maws of bears looking to sate their sweet tooth. According to English-language Turkish news outlet TRT World, over the course of three years, Sedef estimates he may have lost “more than $10,000 worth of honey” to those rascally bears.

He tried setting up decoys to lure the bears into eating things besides his honey stores, leaving out a buffet of apples, bread, persimmons, and decoy honey, but the bears just kept coming back and breaking into his stores.

At some point, Sedef decided to try and figure out if there was a particular honey that the bears were particularly fond of. So he set up his cameras with night vision capabilities and an array of honey – flower, chestnut, and Anzer – and one bowl of cherry jam, for a taste test and let the bears do their thing.

After reviewing the footage, Sedef realized that the bears always opted for the Anzer honey, proving they have very good taste. According to The Guardian, Anzer honey is “produced from the nectar of 90 flowers that grow only in the mountains of the Anzer plateau.” (…)

  • ohwhatfollyisman@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    but wouldn’t his research be tainted because bears thrive on the extremes of variety?

    i remember reading somewhere, for example, that some bears like their porridge too hot and others like it too cold.

  • CptEnder@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    I’d love to hear the bear’s judgement of each honey like a Great British Bake Off. Hosts can be Maul Hollywood and Mary Beary.

  • Muun@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    After reviewing the footage, Sedef realized that the bears always opted for the Anzer honey, proving they have very good taste. According to The Guardian, Anzer honey is “produced from the nectar of 90 flowers that grow only in the mountains of the Anzer plateau.”

    This is pretty interesting. Considering Anzer plateau is in Turkey and this took place in Turkey, I wonder if the bear prefers the honey because it’s truly better or the taste is familiar to the bear, being in Turkey and all.

    • The_v@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Not from Turkey and agree with the bear. It’s delicious. I had it when I flew into Samsun and drove around the region. It’s a really beautiful area as well.

    • volvoxvsmarla @lemm.ee
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      3 months ago

      It is very vain. They just assume that their taste is superior hence the best has “very good taste” because it’s their taste. Pfff.

  • JizzmasterD@lemmy.ca
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    3 months ago

    I recognize that bear! That’s the same no-good медведь that stole my pic-a-nic basket!

  • schloppah@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    If there’s a way to do it without hurting the bears I want to see a show where they have them taste test things. I wonder what the bear-approved brand of canned chili would be. Bah it would probably be rigged by corporate sponsors. Today’s episode is sponsored by Hormel, so we have 5 brands of chili for the bears to try. Wow!! They all chose Hormel, the best canned chili on the market! And then later it comes out that they put skunk extract in all the other brands so the bears would go for Hormel only.

  • TJDetweiler@lemmy.ca
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    3 months ago

    I read tasers at first and was thoroughly confused as to why this man was electrifying honey to hurt bears.